[Post headline]:
Guest blog: Author Paul Combs wishes Tadd Dameron a
happy birthday
Paul Combs is the author of the recently published Dameronia: The Life and Music of Tadd Dameron, the first
authoritative biography of the jazz great.
On the occasion of Tadd
DameronÕs 96th birthday I thought I should
write about the manÕs presence in the jazz world today. But first, a little
background: Dameron was born on February 21, 1917,
and died March 8, 1965. In those 48 years he created a large and influential
body of work and inspired, both directly and indirectly, a great number of
musicians, among them Miles Davis, Frank Foster, Benny Golson,
Quincy Jones, Charlie Rouse, and Horace Silver. Several of his compositions are
considered an essential part of the jazz cannon.
In June of 2008 Dameron was honored, somewhat belatedly, by the American Society
of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (of which he was a member), when he was added
to the ASCAP Wall of Fame. As I wrote in my book, I viewed this as Òa hopeful
sign that Tadd DameronÕs spirit will remain with us
for a long time to come.Ó While attending the Jazz Education Conference last
month, I found evidence of DameronÕs continuing
presence when a group of high school-aged young men came up to my table
expressing interest in the book. They were from a jazz school in Israel founded
by the late Arnie Lawrence, and they told me that when they start the program
they have to pick a jazz master and write a paper about that person. One of the
young men had written about Dameron and had become
inspired by his music, so he had written an arrangement of ÒFlosey
Lou,Ó first recorded in 1956 by both Dameron and the
Max Roach/Clifford Brown Quintet, which I was invited to hear played, and
played well, by these young musicians.
Others told me of
concerts of DameronÕs music they had given, or were
planning, at their schools. All were surprised to hear that there are many more
Dameron tunes that they had never heard. Several people
were happy to see Tadd getting his due, while others were surprised to learn of
his true importance (despite recognizing his name).
Another sign that DameronÕs spirit lives on is the recent CD release from pianist
Chick Corea and vibraphonist Gary Burton titled ÒHot
House,Ó on which they play the well-known Dameron
tune of the same name. The CD was nominated for a Grammy award this year.
As I had hoped and
expected, new information about Tadd Dameron is being
shared with me now that the book is out. Some of it adds to the known record of
DameronÕs activities, some confirms reasonable
assumptions, and some presents new information. I will be posting this information
at my own website, paulcombs.com, but I will make a brief announcement here
when that information has been posted, probably six to eight weeks from now.
Finally, I would
like to express my gratitude for all the warm and enthusiastic responses the
book has received. Several people in various media have interviewed me and more
are planning to. There will even be a piece on one of the NPR news programs
later this month about Tadd Dameron that includes
conversations with Ira Gitler and me.
Note: IÕd like to take this opportunity to post a correction
to something I wrote in Dameronia. On page 121 I
identified Dr. Willis Kirk as past president of San Francisco State College.
This is incorrect. Dr. Kirk was president of San Francisco City College. This
will be corrected in the book sometime in the future when possible, and I
apologize to Dr. Kirk and anyone else who may have been distressed by my
error.